Veering away from high-pitched debates, legislators engaged themselves in a brief banter on pot belly and low-carb diets in the Assembly on Tuesday, following a demand by P.C. George to ban rice, the staple food of Keralites.
The hilarious exchange unfolded during question hour when Health Minister K.K. Shylaja fielded questions on the efforts being made by her department to tackle the increasing prevalence of lifestyle diseases.
Chipping in, Mr. George remarked that rice and its various dishes were at the root of all lifestyle diseases and demanded that the Minister adopted steps to discourage its use.
The six-time MLA also proposed an alternative – to source the rice cultivated by actor Mammootty in his fields. Reason? The rice variety, which he said cost ₹250 a kilo, was apparently ‘sugar-free’.
Joining the issue, Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan wondered whether Mr. George attributed his tummy to rice products, to which the latter replied it had nothing to do with his eating habits and was due to his lifestyle that involved frequent travels. Adding this was no laughing matter, Mr. George said he did not consume rice. “In fact, I chose to order a set of poori masala when several of my colleagues (in the Assembly) had idlis for breakfast,” he said.
Prompted to respond, Ms. Shylaja said one could restrict the intake of carbohydrates, adopting a balanced diet with a small serving of rice with larger portions of vegetables or fish. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also chipped in with his view that traditional eating habits could not be replaced at one stroke through policies.
Bringing an end to the diet debate, Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala endorsed Mr. Vijayan’s view and advocated daily exercise to stay in shape. He concluded only after remarking, “PC (Mr. George) will have a hard time convincing others that he avoided rice with that pot belly of his.”
